Lamp-adjusting mechanism



g. 12, 1930. f G. H. COULTER LAMP ADJUSTING MECHANISM 'Filed May 7, 1927 z sheets-sheet 1 Aug. 12, 1930. G. H. COULTER LAMP ADJUSTING MEGHANSM z shuts-*sheet 2 Filed May 7. 1927 IVNVNTOR [oz/L TER ATroRN Y Patented Aug. 12, 193() GUY E. COULTER, OF HIGHLAND PARK, MICHIGAN, ASSIG-NOR TO MONOGRAM LENS CORPORATION, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE LAMP-ADJUSTING MECHANISM Application led May 7,

This invention relates to adjusting mechanism for automobile headlights, and particularly the type of headlights having movable main reflectors.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide adjusting mechanism for the light bulb of a headlight which will be supported solely upon the reflector thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide a mechanism to adj ust the light bulb of a headlight which will be operable from outside of the rear casing wall, but which will be entirely independent of such casing wall.

Another object of the invention is to provide an axial and a transverse adjusting mechanism for a light bulb which is mounted in a single unit and adapted to be rigidly attached to the reflector and supported thereby.

Another object of the invention is to provide means to adjust the light bulb axially, and means to adj ust the light bulb transversely, said means being spaced from each other but rotatable on substantially parallel axes.

Other objects of the invention and objects relating to economies of manufacture and methods of construction, will be apparent as the description of the invention proceeds.

One embodiment of the invention has been illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a sectional side elevational view of a headlight embodying my invention;

I F ig. 2 is a diagrammatic fragmentary front view of the headlight with the lens and rim removed;

Fig. 3 is a plan view partly in section of the bulb, socket and adjusting means;

Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation through the socket taken on the line 1 4 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of a portion of the adjusting means bracket showing the manner of supporting the same;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 with the bracket removed;

Fig. 7 is a sectional elevational view taken on the line 7-7 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 8 is a sectional elevation of the axial adjusting means taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 9 is a rear view of a portion of the 1927. Serial No. 189,469.

headlight casing showing means in place.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings, the invention has been illustrated as embodied in a headlight having a casing 1() with a. bullet-shaped rear wall and a rim 11 adapted to form a butt joint with the casing. A lens 12 is supported in the rim 11 and a reflector 13 is adapted to be resiliently held adjacent the lens 12 in the following manner:

The casing 10 has a secondary rim 14 attached to the inner side of the open end thereof, and upon this rim are mounted in suitable tapped holes a plurality of shoulder screws 15 whose heads are spaced from the rim 14, as indicated in the drawing. A spring 16 is secured by the head of each screw to the rim 14, and has a pair of flexible fingers 17, against which the fiange 18 on the outer edge of the reflector 13 is adapted to rest. The flange 18 has a plurality of slots or grooves 19, one for each screw 15, and the reflector is guided or kept in alignment with the axis of the headlight by these screws 15. A cork gasket 2O may be provided between the lens 12 and the flange 18 of the reflector so that the open end of the reflector is completely sealed against any leakage of moisture or dust therein.

When the reflector, lens, and rim are assembled in the casing, the reflector is iirst placed upon the springs 16 by removing one or more of the screws 15, and is held in place thereon by the heads of the screws engaging the slots 19. The reflector is, therefore, free to move a limited distance axially with respect to the casing by compressing the springs 16. The flange 18 of the refiector preferably has a shoulder 21, upon which the cork gasket 2O is then placed. The lens 12 is thereupon placed against the gasket 2O and the rim 11 is attached to the casing in order to hold the lens in place. In order to attach the rim lto the casing, a spring hinge 22 is provided at the top of the casing comprising a loop of spring material attached at one end to the inner edge of the flange 14, and having its other end protruding up through a slot 23 provided for that purpose in the flange 14:,

the adjusting 40 is adapted to rotate.

so that it may be engaged by an aligning slot 24 in the rear inner edge of the rim 11. The rim is held at the bottom of the casing by a pin 25 which is pivotally attached to Y.. the rim at 2G, and which is adapted to be ins'erted between two outstanding lingers 27,

, casing.

The result of this construction is that when the rim is brought down into position, the lens is forced rearwardly against the gasket 2O which in turn forces the reflector rearwardly against the tension of the springs 16. Thus, the reflector is held by the springs tightly against the lens, and the cork gasket provides an adequate seal against moisture and dust leakage.

It will be seen that in order to assemble the lens and rim, the reflector must have a slight axial movement against the resistance of the springs 16, and, therefore, any adjusting mechanism that is used to move the light bulb inside the reflector must be mounted so that it is entirely independent of the rear wall of the casing, and can move with the reflector. To this end, al sleeve 31 is rigidly attached to the center of the reflector 13, this sleeve being provided with a pair of slots 32, one on each side thereof, which are adapted to engage ears 33 formed in the sides of the socket member 34. The socket member 34, therefore, may be moved axially with respect to the reflector 13 and sleeve 31, the ears 33 sliding in the slots 32 of the sleeve. The socket may also have a tilting motion, the ears 33 acting as pivots against the sides of the slots.

In order to support the adjusting means, a bracket 35 is provided This bracket is substantially U-shaped, and the legs 3G thereof are adapted to contact with the outside of the sleeve 31, and are rounded to fit closely about the sleeve. On each side of the sleeve 31, two opposing lugs 37 are bent slightly outwardly, and a pair of grooves 38 are provided in each leg 36 to lit over the lugs 37. The U-shaped bracket 35 is bent so that the legs 36 are resiliently urged toward the sleeve 31, and when snapped in position is rigidly secured to the sleeve.

The closed end of the U-shaped bracket 35 is provided with a hole 39 in which a screw The screw 40 has a threaded end 41 and an elongated head 42, and between the head and the threaded end, a ridge or rib 43 by which the screw is held in place against the bracket 35. A nut 44 is threaded on the end 41 of the screw, and

is provided with two fingers 45 which are adapted to lit into slots in a pair of arms 46 which are attached to the socket member 34. The arms 46 may be Aattached to the socket member in any desirable manner, such as by welding, or they may be held in place by the insulation which separates the two terminals inside of the socket member, and which contact with the terminals on the base 47 of the bulb 48 for lighting the two filaments 49 shown therein. The fingers 45 on the nut 44 are preferably curved about the point at which the socket pivots, and are long enough to permit the socket member to pivot about the ears 33, allowing the arms 46 to slide up and down over the lingers 45. A spring 50 may be provided between the nut 44 and the bracket 35 to normally urge the screw 40 in a forwardly direction. lVhen the screw 40 is turned by inserting a screw driver or coin in the slot formed in the head 42, the nut 44 is moved backward or forward, and, therefore, the socket member is also moved axially with respect to the reflector, the ears 33 sliding in the slots 32.

In order to provide an adjustment tra-nsverse to the axis of the reflector, T have provided a bracket 51 which is attached to the end of the bracket 35 by lugs 52 which are bent over the upper and lower edges of the bracket 35. The bracket 51 has a hole 53 which is adapted to align with the hole 39 in the bracket 35 and is sulliciently large in diameter to receive the rib 43 on the screw 40. Lugs 54 may be provided adjacent the hole 53 to bear against the rear surface of the rib 43, and thereby hold the screw 40 securely in place, at the same time permitting rotation thereof. The bracket 51 is bent forwardly and downwardly, forming a plate 55 upon which the means for effecting the transverse adjustment may be mounted. To this end, a hole 5G is provided in the plate 55 and a pin 57 is rotatably mounted in this hole. The pin 57 has a cam member 58 rigidly a+- tached to one end thereof, which is adapted to contact with a vertically movable plate 59, which in turn is supported between the cam 58 and the plate 55. A slot 60 is provided in the plate 59 in order to receive the pin 57 and l between them. If desired the plate 59 may be guided in its vertical movement by a lug 51fL struck out from the bracket 51 and engaging a slot 59a provided for that purpose in the plate 59.

Preferably, a spring 63 is provided around the pin 57 and between the plate 55 and a washer 64 held in place by a pin 65. By this con-struction, the cam is urged bythe spring 63 against the plate 55, holding the plate 59 securely therebetween, but due to the resiliency of the spring, the pin 57 is free to have slight angular movement with respect to the plate 55. The upper part of the plate 59 is provided with slots 66 through which the arms 46 are adapted to pass, and hence a vertical movement of the plate 59 will cause a vertical movement of the arms 46, and consequently a tilting of the socket member 34 about the ears 33 as pivots. This has the effect of raising or lowering the filaments 49 with respect to the axis of the reflector and the proper adjustment may readily be se# cured.

In order to operate the adjusting means from the rear of the casing, openings 67 and 68 are provided which are adapted to align with the screw 40 and the pin 57 and in which the screw and pin may have a limited axial movement.

In assembling the headlight, particularly in positioning the reflector, the screw 40 is first aligned with the opening 67 in the rear of the casing and in case the pin 57 does not quite align with its opening 68 in the casing, the pin may be tilted slightly in order to effect the proper alignment. The lens and rim may then be set in place which will move the reflector slightly rearwardly so that the screw 4() and pin 57 will move further into the openings 67 and 68 respectively, and such movement with respect to the rear casing will in no wise effect the adjusting mechanism or the operation thereof.

It will be noted that the ears 33 on the socket member 34 will contact with the inner ends of the slots 32 when the socket member is urged forwardly, thereby preventing the nut 44 from being unscrewed from the threaded end 4l of the screw 40, and the lugs 54 prevent the screw 40 from being turned completely out of the casing.

By rotating the screw 40, therefore, it will be evident from the above description that the nut 44, arms 46, and socket member 34 and bulb 48 are moved axially with respect to the reflector, so that the filaments may be brought into the desired position with respect to the focal plane of the reflector, and when the pin 57 is rotated, the cam member 58 raises and lowers the plate 59 whereupon the arms 46 are raised and lowered, thereby tilting the socket about the ears 33 and raising and lowering the filaments 49 with respect to the axis of the reffector, the arms 46 sliding meanwhile upon the fingers 45 which are curved for that purpose. i

It will be evident from the above, that I have provided an adjusting mechanism for adjusting a socket both axially and vertically; that this adjusting mechanism may be supported solely uponr the reflector and is provided in one single unit with the two adjusting means spaced from each other; and

that movement of the reflector, and the adjusting means with respect to the casing does not affect the adjusting mechanism or the operation thereof.

IVhile I have shown and described one embodiment of the invention, many changes may be made in the construction without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I desire it to be understood, therefore, that my invention is not limited to any specific form or arrangement of parts except in so far as such limitations are specified in the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I desire to claim is:

l. In a headlight, a reflector; a light bulb socket movably supported in said reflector; a bracket rigidly secured to said reflector; an arm secured to said socket; means connecting said arm and bracket and adapted to be operated to cause axial movement of said socket while permitting transverse movement thereof; a plate slidably mounted on said bracket and cooperating withsaid arm to cause transverse movement thereof when said plate is shifted but permitting longitudinal movement thereof; a pair of opposing bearing surfaces on said plate; and a cam rotatably mounted on said `bracket and ladapted to lie between said bearing surfaces on said plate whereby when said cam is rotated said plate is shifted. Y

2. In a headlight, a reflector; a light bulb socket movably supported in said reflector; a bracket rigidly supported upon said reflector; an arm attached to said socket having an opening in the end thereof; a connecting member slidably disposed in said opening; a screw rotatably mounted in said bracket and havin" threaded connection with said member; a plate rigidly supported by said bracket; a pin rotatably mounted on said plate; a second plate adjacent the first plate and hav ing a slot therein through which said pin is adapted to pass; a pair of bearing surfaces on said plate at either end of said slot; and a cam rigidly attached to said pin and adapted to fit between said bearing surfaces whereby when said pin is rotated said second plate is shifted, said second plate having an opening therein through which said arm is adapted to have sliding movement.

120 3. In a headlight, a casing; a reflector within said casing; a light bulb socket movably mounted in said reflector; a bracket rigidly supported upon said reflector; a screw rotatably mounted in said bracket a connecting member in threaded engagement with said screw and cooperating with said socket to cause axial movement thereof when said screw is rotated; a plate slidably mounted with respect to said bracket for movement transverse to the axis ,of said refiector and cooperating with said socket to cause transverse movement thereof; a pin rotatably mounted in said bracket on an axis substantially parallel to but spaced from'said screw; a cam rigidly attached to said pin; means on said plate adapted to engage said cam whereby rotation of said cam causes reciprocation of said plate; and means to permit a slight tilting of said pin out of its normal axis of rotation, said casing having apertures adapted to align with said screw and pin.

ll. In a headlight, acasing; a reflector; a light bulb socket; a bracket; means to rigidly support said bracket upon said reflector and to movably support said socket therein; means supported by said bracket to axially adjust said socket with respect to said reflector; a pin rotatably mounted on said bracket but spaced from said axial adjust-ing means; cam means mounted on said pin and cooperating with said socket to cause transverse movement thereof with respect to the axis of said refiector; spring means tending to maintain said pin on its normal axis of rotation but permitting slight angular displacement thereof, said casing having apertures therein adapted to align with said adjusting means.

5. In a headlight, a casing; a reflector within said casing; a light bulb socket pivotally and slidably mounted in said reflector; a bracket rigidly supported on said reflector substantially on the axis and extending rearwardly thereof; a screw rotatably mounted at the end of said bracket substantially parallel to the axis of said reflector; a nut threadedly engaging said screw; a pair of fingers extending vertically one above and one below said nut; a pair of arms rigidly attached to said socket and spaced apart so as to straddle said nut, said arms having openings therein into which said fingers are adapted to slidably fit whereby rotation of said screw will effect axial movement of said socket with respect to the axis of said refiector; a plate rigidly attached to said bracket and extending downwardly and forwardly to a point between the end of said screw and the end of said socket and then downwardly again in a plane perpendicular to the axis of said refiector; a second plate adjacent the lower end of said first plate and extending upwardly, said plate being provided with openings to slidably receive said arms; a pin rotatable in a hole in the lower end of said first plate and passing through a slot in said second plate; a cam rigidly attached to said pin, said second plate lying between -said cam and said first plate; a pair of parallel bearing surfaces extending outwardly from said second plate and adapted to confine said cam between them whereby rotation of said cam produces reciprocation of said plate and tilting of said socket; and spring means to urge said pin and cam rearwardly, thereby holding said cam In testimony whereof, I affix my signature.

GUY I-I. COULTER. 

